The Elites
by crystalchaser
Summary: Sakura works as an assassin for Orochimaru. She is known as the SILVER SPHINX. Sasuke, an agent was tasked to look for her. Sakura meets Sasuke and falls in love with each other. What will happen if they finally knew that they're enemies?
1. The silver sphinx

**A/N: **My first mature fanfic.haha. Though I don't really know if this would work for me, I still hope you'll find it interesting. Hehe.

**Disclaimer: **Let's face it; I don't own Naruto even though I'm the last pathetic writer in the world! Haha!

**THE ELITES**

**CHAPTER ONE: The silver sphinx**

She walked slowly and quietly as the darkness crept through the shallow hallway. Only the moon gave light to her path as it shined down at her, illuminating her pearly white skin. At last, she had reached her destination, room no.467, fifth floor, where her victim awaits. She gently pushed the door making a creaking sound that somehow disturbed a man of age thirty inside the suite.

"Who's there?" called out a man with silver hair wearing a mask that covered half of his face named Hatake Kakashi. She stood still behind a glass wall with her metallic white skirt swaying with rhythm. Kakashi cautiously approached the glass wall, holding his kunai tightly in his left hand. He leapt and saw her, the silver sphinx, having the same shocked face as he had. Though the room was dimly lit by a few candles, Kakashi still saw her smile alluringly after a few moments. He smirked, "I've been expecting you, come in," he uttered as he gestured for her to enter. She swiftly walked through the room and sat graciously at the side of the bed. Kakashi approached her, leaned slightly and kissed her passionately in the lips. She returned it with a suspicious glint in her sparkly emerald eyes.

She caressed the back of Kakashi's head, and, without him knowing it, she injected something in his nape which left Kakashi unconscious. He fell numbly into the floor with his expressionless eyes open. It was her turn to smirk, "Rubbish," she whispered. She took the kunai from Kakashi's hand, knelt near her victim and savagely stabbed Kakashi, blood splattering all over the place. When she was already satisfied with her work, she brought out something similar to a cellular phone, only that it doesn't have any keys in it.

"Gaara, send them in, I'm through with him."

"That was quick. No wonder boss put you up first in that mission."

"Quit fooling around, where is it hidden?"

"Behind his precious painting near the fireplace."

She turned off the gadget and looked around for the painting, there it was—a masterpiece which was created by Kakashi himself. Though she can't visualize what it was since it was an abstract, and she never really did appreciate art. She approached the painting and took it. There it was a vault where their price is hidden. "Haven't you opened it yet?" Temari uttered as she came in with five other men from the window. "Almost," she uttered. "Go clean up this mess. Make sure no trace of blood or anything will be left," she stated, taking off her dress leaving her only with a black tube and tight shorts.

She was about to open the vault. At first, she just stared at it. After a few seconds, she turned the lock a few turns to the right, a little to the left, a full clockwise rotation and 'CLICK', it was opened. She gently pulled it's metal door and, with its glittery, sharp edges, where their precious diamonds and crystals. "Another mission accomplished," she uttered as she gently pulled them out and placed them in a bag. "Here," she uttered as she gave the bag to Temari. "Have you eliminated the cameras?" Temari asked, looking up in the ceiling where a miniature spy camera was in place. "Yeah, I cut the wires with the kunai," she stated. Temari smirked at her and gestured for them to leave.

XxxXxxXxxX

"They're here, master," Gaara uttered as he opened the door for Temari and the others to come in. "Really, that was fast. Sit down girls," a husky, devious voice spoke in the darkest corner of the room. The two sat down as their companions left the room. "I'll call you later, Gaara," the voice once again stated.

It was extremely cold inside the room with the fact that there were no windows or air conditioners inside. This made the two shiver slightly. "You made me proud once again, my silver." The owner of the voice finally showed up as he spoke. It was Orochimaru. "Anything for you," she replied as she handed over to him the bag. Orochimaru smirked, "Mind if you leave, Temari?" he uttered. Temari obliged as she left the room silently.

"Our victory is near," he uttered as he walked around his table. "Once I have enough fortune, I shall proceed to my next plan." He approached her and held her in the shoulders. "And you, my dear Sakura, will take charge," Orochimaru gave an evil, horse laugh, leaving a mischievous smile in Sakura's lips. The silver sphinx conquered, at last.

XxxXxxXxxX

"Uchiha! Get in my office, now!" Iruka shouted at the other end of the phone. Sasuke, having no time to answer back, had no choice but to follow his boss. _'What is it this time?' _he thought.

"The silver sphinx did it again!" Iruka irritably stated as he held the daily newspaper in front of Sasuke's face. "I thought your team already finished this rubbish?" he continued, slamming his table in anger. "She got away, okay? She's a professional assassin; we wouldn't get her that easily! Besides, we even don't know what she looks like," Sasuke answered back, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't care! Just finish this case as soon as possible, you hear me?" his boss uttered as he left hi office.

Sasuke sighed and took the newspaper from the table. SILVER SPHINX ATTACKED MILLIONAIRE; NO CLUES LEFT IN CRIME SCENE. _'Amazing,' _he thought. He read the article but it seems no clues were visible. _'Who are you, anyway?'_

XxxXxxXxxX

**A/N: **It's a little bit lewd and evil, I know. Hehe. But I'm still hoping for your reviews. It might give me more ideas of how would the story flow. Thanks for reading and sorry for any grammatical errors.


	2. The other side

**Crystalchaser's note: **Chapter two of the elites! Hehe. To everyone who's wondering why this story is entitled the elites, just keep on reading.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto as well as the other characters involved.

**THE ELITES**

**CHAPTER 2: The other side**

She held her katana firmly as a smirk had managed to creep to her glossy lips, _'Die,' _she whispered. Sakura raised her weapon and was about to plunge it through her victim's heart when suddenly, someone had stop her from doing so by holding her hands tight. She looked up with a bewildered and irritated expression. "Gaara?" she uttered. The said man didn't answer back and just held firmly on her. "Let her do it," she heard someone say. She looked ahead and saw the _snake_, Orochimaru with a mischievous grin. It frightened her for the first time that she backed away. She glanced at her side to find something she least expected. "What the—"she screamed as she saw her friend's lifeless body.

Sakura immediately sat up from her bed, sweating and having irregular breathes. It was just a dream—a nightmare to be exact that was constantly hunting her for days. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. _'I'd better go to work,' _she thought as she got off her queen sized bed and exited her room. She was about to go straight to the kitchen when she noticed traces of crimson liquid at the floor—traces of her kill last night. Sakura sighed, _'I guess I should clean up first,' _she thought.

XxxXxxX

As usual, people from different walks of life passed by each other, scurrying to go to different places for different reasons and businesses. Some were students chatting with their friends as they walked to school, others were just having a walk, while most of them were going to work, to earn a living.

Within this massive crowd, a pink haired girl walked in a normal pace, her hair tied into a single bun as it was held by a green chopstick which matched the color of her eyes. Her knee-length black skirt was making her hard to move a bit faster as it was a little bit tight. She matched this with a white blouse and black blazer. THIS is Haruno Sakura, too professional to be considered lethal; too simple to be thought as mysterious; and to sweet to be alleged as the top and most wanted female assassin in the city of Konoha.

She pushed her glasses up to her eye level and read the message in her phone silently as she entered the train and sat down at a vacated seat. She closed its flap immediately after reading it, _'Not now,' _she thought as one of her officemates informed her that they would be having a dinner meeting with their boss tonight. She closed her tired eyes for a moment. She can't stay in their office tonight. She has a mission to accomplish. And surely, the calm yet enigmatic night might trigger her inner self. As she thought of this, she barely knew that she had already fallen asleep for the whole trip.

XxxXxxX

Sasuke was sleeping soundly at his room when he suddenly heard something move. He immediately opened his eyes as he sensed the presence of someone else in his room. Cautiously, he stood up and walked towards the door. Before opening the cold doorknob, he reached for his kunai at the top of his table and held it firmly, getting ready for his or the invader's attack. When he was to open the door, he heard it click. "Shit," he whispered as he stood immobile for a few moments.

Suddenly, he smirked and quickly turned around, his kunai touching the invader's neck as Sasuke was already behind him. "You did it fast but not too fast for me," he uttered with a smile in his lips. The man smirked, "Just what I've thought. I've trained you well, didn't I, Sasuke," the man uttered. Sasuke freed him from his grip and let the silver-haired man straighten up himself.

"So, what's up?" Sasuke asked as he sat down at the rear of his bed, resting his arms on his legs as he looked down. The said man shrugged as he lingered around Sasuke's room. "She wasn't that bad. She was a good kisser by the way," the man uttered. Sasuke smirked as he closed his eyes, _'Reading too much of Icha Icha Paradise, sensei,' _he thought. Still, the said boy was amazed in how he, Hatake Kakashi, had escaped the wrath of today's top assassin. According to the news, he was stabbed to death by the killer but no trace of who she might be was left in the scene. He smirked once more, _'…or was there?' _

Kakashi used to be Sasuke's sensei, but now, both of them were just working for the same gang. The silver-haired man was ordered to find something about the said female killer. He considered it as a tough one since nobody knew who she really was and what she looked like. "But luckily, the plan went smoothly," Kakashi boasted as he brought out a book from his pocket—Icha Icha Paradise. Sasuke raised his head and looked at Kakashi who was sitting at a chair near the door to his balcony. "So, what d'you found out then?" he asked. Kakashi looked at him immediately as he returned the book he was holding earlier to his pocket. "Two things," Sasuke listened carefully, "Pink and green."

XxxXxxX

Sakura walked on the sidewalk, she was only a few meters away from her destination when she suddenly noticed the front page of the newspapers in a certain stall. She stopped to look at it for awhile, slowly turning her head to glance at what was written in it. She took a copy with trembling hands and almost shrieked when she had already read the headline fully. 'FEMALE ASSASSIN ATTACKS AGAIN; MILLIONAIRE'S LIFE TAKEN WITHOUT ANY TRACE.' It took her a few minutes before she had absorbed what she has just read. It was just a few weeks ago when she was the headlines. Yet, the media had only knew the crime she had done after two to three weeks. She was surprised that her mission was already in the papers when she had just done it the night before.

"Hey, are you going to buy it or not?" the vendor uttered. Sakura looked up to see who spoke and blinked. "Uhm…yes," she uttered almost a whisper. She paid it and immediately went straight to her office. _'How come they knew it?' _she said to herself. She made sure that nobody saw her getting in and out of the said room. Sakura sighed as she felt her whole body heat up, her eyes turning a deeper shade of green.

XxxXxxX

The sounds of papers being flipped, typing, photocopy machines, and a hundred and one pairs of feet walking from room to room was music for Sakura for it made her relax. And besides, it was a good cover up to hide who she really is. It was too farfetched for anyone to consider her as an assassin with this kind of job. And besides, isn't it the media who's after her and stalking her?

She sat in front of her computer as she started to edit the work of some of her co-writers before they give it to their boss for publishing. She would glance once in a while at the newspaper beside her, thinking who might have written it. _'Later,' _she said to herself as she adjusted her glasses and pressed some keys in the keyboard.

XxxXxxX

He wasn't really into photography but he needed to do it for the sake of his identity. He was a little bit good at it anyway. He entered the building with a stoic face as he saw some of the female employees gape at him as he passed by. His eye twitched and immediately headed towards the elevator to escape his cursed (and yet also a gift) fate. _'Damn, I hate this,' _he uttered as he combed his hair with his fingers. _'Of all jobs, why as a photographer, Kakashi,' _he thought as he leaned backwards, watching the numbers change as he goes up.

XxxXxxX

He knocked at the door of the head of the said department. A lady looked at the window and gestured for him to wait for a few minutes. He nodded and sat down as his eyes lingered around the place. _'This isn't too bad,' _he said to himself. He noticed that there was a particular area for different jobs as well as fields as he saw that the editors had a different room to that with the cartoonist and the like (by the way, it was a publishing company and Sasuke would apply as a photojournalist). He saw inks, a lot of computers, and a few certificates and trophies in one side where it was kept in glass storage. _'Whoa, they really are good,'_ he thought.

As he looked around, a girl who had just come out from the door in front of him caught his attention. She was walking gracefully yet at a bit fast pace, her long pink hair swaying in rhythm with her hips. _'Wait…pink?' _Sasuke thought. In his job, he knows that there's no such thing as coincidence. He stared at her for a moment, and saw her glance at him. He smirked as she saw him eyeing her and lowered her head, her face tinted red. _'Heh, works everytime,' _he thought.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" he turned around to where the voice came from. A girl with blond hair was standing at the door of the office. "Tsunade-sama is waiting for you." He nodded as he walked towards the door. He saw, from the corner of his eye, that the girl who called him earlier was staring at him then giggled, and he swear he didn't like it one bit.

XxxXxxX

"Please sit down," Tsunade uttered, her hands clasped to each other. Sasuke obliged, thinking of what will be his next move after this little talk with the boss. "I see you have a very good record Mr. Uchiha. And I'm sure that you'll be of great importance here in our company." Sasuke just listened carefully, waiting patiently. "...when do you think can you start?" the woman in front of him uttered with a smile. He raised his head, not answering the question immediately. "Uhm…anytime," he said. Tsunade smiled once more and stood up and handed him his supposedly I.D. He took it and put it inside his pocket, Tsunade didn't seem to mind. "Ms. Yamanaka will be guiding you, she will be handing you to the head photojournalist for further instructions." He nodded as he pocketed his hands and followed Tsunade towards the door.

The said girl, who was supposedly the secretary, was already standing, anticipating the moment that she would be with Sasuke. "Let's go?" she uttered and made her way outside. Sasuke sighed and lowered his head, _'Of all people, why her?' _he asked himself as he followed the blonde girl.

XxxXxxX

"…and this would be your place, Sasuke," the girl uttered as they stopped at the door of a certain room. He looked at the people around; all were too busy to pay attention to the said new comer. At one side, they had a couch and a coffee table maybe to accommodate visitors or just a place for the workers to relax and take a break. There were a lot of cabinets filled with folders and some news clippings. Sasuke turned to his right to see a dimly lit room. "That's where you'll be working," the girl uttered as she peeped through Sasuke's shoulder and looked at the room, too. Though already irritated, he just nodded and followed his guide to meet his officemates.

They stopped at every person they would meet though Sasuke doesn't really give too much attention to their names. "This is Hyuuga Hinata," the girl uttered as she introduced the two to each other. Hinata just smiled sheepishly and took Sasuke's outstretched hand. On the other hand, Sasuke was thinking deeply, _'Hyuuga? Is this another coincidence?' _he thought. While he was in deep thought a man approached him from behind, "Uchiha Sasuke, great to see you," he uttered. Sasuke turned around to see his white-eyed companion at his gang. His lips formed a familiar smirk as he saw him, "Hyuuga, I thought I'd see you here," he uttered. They shook hands and turned to the bewildered face of Hinata. "We knew each other before at," Neji looked at Sasuke and nodded, "some place," he continued. The two girls nodded as a sign that they understood. Ino had left Sasuke to Neji for Tsunade was already calling her. She bowed down and quickly dashed towards her boss' room.

"They asked me to join you here," Neji uttered as they started walking. He was referring to their gang. Sasuke lowered his head, his eyes overshadowed as he grinned. "You don't need to work here every day. I'll take care of it so that you can do your task," his white-eyed companion said. "Hn, I know," he replied. "Coffee?" Neji asked as Sasuke nodded and they made their way towards the café. Sasuke raised his head and saw at the corner of his eye the pink-haired girl he saw earlier. He immediately stopped and looked at her as she sat down, looking intently at the computer screen. Neji looked at him with a surprised expression and turned to look at the direction he was gaping at. Neji smirked when he realized that he was eyeing some girl. "That's Sakura, one of the head editors of our magazines. Want to meet her?" Neji asked. Sasuke looked at him incredulously. He was about to say no but said otherwise. _'The heck, what's wrong with meeting up with a girl,'_ he thought. He looked at Neji and combed his hair, "Sure, why not?"

They walked towards the said pink-haired girl swiftly. Neji coughed which caught the attention of Sakura, "Yes?" she uttered with a raised eyebrow. "I want you to meet our new photographer, Uchiha Sasuke. I think you'll be working on some projects together, right?" Neji uttered. Sakura just looked at the two unknowingly. She saw Sasuke awhile ago and she almost slipped when he smirked at her. She suddenly turned red when she remembered and looked away, "Yes, I-I think so," she uttered as she tried for her voice not to tremble. Sasuke smirked at her reaction which only made Sakura turn a darker shade of red. "I saw her a while ago," he uttered coolly. Sakura just nodded when she saw the questioning look in Neji's face. She couldn't think straight. Not when she knows that Sasuke was looking at her. It was as if he was undressing her by just looking at her. "I think we should be going now, bye Sakura," Sasuke uttered as he turned around and joined Neji. Sakura shivered when Sasuke said her name. _'Bye, Sakura. Hmph. Stupid,' _she thought as she continued her work, Sasuke's voice a never ending echo in her mind.

XxxXxxX

The café had a calm atmosphere which Sasuke liked. There were only a few people around which made it more ideal to stay in. Neji sipped his black coffee and asked, "So, what's your plan?" Sasuke savored his drink before answering. "Depends on when will she show up again," he utterd coolly. Neji nodded as they enjoyed the silence around the room.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was analyzing something silently. It was just a hunch and he could just easily ignore it. But there was something about it that was very strong and convincing yet he didn't know what it is. _'Could it still be coincidence that Sakura has pink hair and green eyes? Nah, maybe Kakashi was saying something else. Maybe it isn't a physical feature, but again…' _he closed his eyes. It was so hard to guess. He would just allow time to pass and see what happens next.

XxxXxxX

**Crystalchaser's note: **Is it too serious? I'm really not sure how it turned out. And Kakashi didn't die, it was just a set-up for them to know the Sphinx better. Please inform me of what you think of this chapter by posting a review, okie? That's all for now, ja!


	3. The reason

**Crystalchaser's note: **Thanks for viewing guys! When I saw how many viewed this story, I felt a tingling sensation build up inside me! Haha! Anyway, hope you'll continue reading this, and if you have any spare time, try reading some of my other stories, too! Hehe.

**Standard disclaimer applies**

**THE ELITES**

**CHAPTER THREE: The reason **

It was like fire. She could feel it burning her skin, her soul; her whole self was on fire. She touched the back of her head and felt the mark, it was burning badly. She closed her eyes as if trying to alleviate the pain, it was no use. It continued to spread throughout her, torturing her, making her suffer.

Sakura leaned back in her chair and opened her eyes and felt the whole place spinning. Her head was pumping hard, _'Shit. I hate this,' _she thought as she stood up and paced towards the bathroom, holding her head as she walked down the hallway cautiously, trying hard not to faint or break down.

She hurriedly opened the door and locked it, not allowing anyone to have a chance to see her. Sakura leaned towards the sink and opened the silver faucet with her trembling hands. She heard the flowing water rush towards the drain. Sakura sprinkled some to her face; little by little the fire was extinguished, the pain lessened. Taking deep breaths, she slowly looked towards the mirror in front of her, meeting the eyes of a person, a person that looked just like her but was a total stranger.

"Alright?" she heard somebody remark her. Sakura sharply turned at the side of the room and found her companion, Gaara.

She sighed and leaned against the tiled sink, strands of her long pink hair clinging on her forehead.

"Next time, learn how to knock, okay?" she said irritably as she looked up and shut her eyes.

Gaara just smirked and walked towards his pink haired friend and sat on top of the white-tiled sink, water still running towards the drain. Gaara closed it before he spoke, "You felt it, too. Huh?" he asked looking down to her. Sakura stared at the floor, breathing rapidly as she tried to relax herself.

He knew how it felt, it was unbearable. He was at his house, drinking when he suddenly felt a slight pang at the back of his head. He automatically touched it, and as he did, it burned him. Gaara had dropped the wine glass he was holding earlier as it was shattered into pieces. He closed his eyes tightly as he gritted his teeth, he was already sweating. The pain wasn't hot, it was like a bite, it stung.

'_Snake's bite' _and as he thought of this, Orochimaru's name came immediately to his mind. He knew he wasn't the only one feeling the pain, and he also understood what it meant.

'_Something's gone wrong,' _he thought as he left his house immediately.

She slowly nodded, "Yeah, what was it anyway?" she asked, turning to Gaara with a questioning look. The said man just shrugged as he jumped off the sink and walked in front of Sakura.

"Something's wrong. He suspects that someone already has a clue that you're the sphinx. I don't know how, but that's what he feels," he explained as Sakura looked at him, amused.

The pink haired assassin's eyes grew wide; she felt that she was in trouble. Sakura began to panic; she slowly turned her head to Gaara and swallowed as a lump was beginning to form in her throat. "A-am I in trouble?" she asked cautiously, as if somebody might overhear their conversation. Gaara just grinned at her annoyingly, seeing Sakura turning pale. The said girl glared at him and sharply turned towards the mirror.

"Whatever, better get out before somebody sees us, or before I chop your head off," she said as she looked at Gaara's reflection in the mirror, his arms crossed as he leaned back against the door of one of the cubicles. The said man just smirked as he went towards the door, "You're not in trouble, don't worry. It's the one who's spying on us who's in it," he uttered as he exited the place, disappearing from her sight as she heard his footsteps fading.

Sakura sighed and gazed at her reflection once more. She had changed physically through the years. From that childish, unskilled and shy girl came out a beautiful and tough woman whom nobody could ever bring down. But something else was different, her eyes. They were no longer bright, enthusiastic and full of love. They have turned into deep dark wells full of hatred and vengeance.

She no longer believed in happiness, it was just an illusion for her. An illusion used to lure people towards failure, and she wasn't going to be one of those fools being drowned into the never ending river of disappointment and disaster. She won't fall for the same trick anymore. She had learned her lesson.

Sakura straightened herself up as she decided to finish some business with a girl named Mitarashi Anko, the writer who had wrote the article about the sphinx, about her actually. She was about to head towards the door when she suddenly saw her hair hanging loose. Her eyes grew wide as she tied her pink locks into a bun, a green chopstick holding it into place.

'_Shit. That's why that Uchiha looked at me that way! Stupid!' _she said to herself as she started towards the door, her body shivered as she remembered Sasuke eyeing her.

'_I don't like this,' _she thought.

XxxXxxX

Sasuke had already taken some pictures. He thought that maybe he should start it right so that he could stay a little longer at his job. He was about to go to the dark room to develop them when he saw Sakura walking towards his way. She didn't seem to notice him so he just walked straight, a grin plastered in his face.

Sakura was in a hurry, she didn't want to waste some more time or the one spying at her would already have planned her next move. She raised her head and saw Sasuke approaching her with a grin. For a moment, she thought of running away from him, though she really wasn't sure why. Instead, she just held her head up high and tried her best not to look at him.

"Hi, Sakura," he greeted her as she passed by. Sakura just gave a casual smile and continued on her way.

Sasuke stared at the place where Sakura was earlier. No girl has ever done that to him. They all stared at him, gaped at him, wanted him. But not this girl, not Haruno Sakura. She was different, so different that it annoyed him so much.

He narrowed his eyes as he turned around, "Yeah! Nice meeting you, too!" he said sarcastically. The said girl just walked straight ahead ignoring him, which made Sasuke more irritated.

"She's impossible," he hissed as he shook his head and stormed his way towards the dark room. Sakura, on the other hand, held a mischievous smile in her lips, "All one," she whispered triumphantly.

XxxXxxX

She was running away, but she didn't know exactly where to go. Anko turned right to an isolated aisle, turning around every time to see if her stalker was still behind her. Sweat trickled down her pale face, already tired of the endless running. She stopped when she saw that her way was a dead end. It was a dark alley. Nobody could find nor hear her for help. Anko crouched a bit, resting her arms on her legs as she panted and wiped the sweat from her face.

"Already tired, tenshi?" a female voice said in a sweet tone, yet it gave her a feeling that it would be the last voice she would ever hear.

She quickly raised her head and looked up; she was dumb stricken when she saw her.

She was standing at a small balcony of a building; her dress twinkled together with the stars of the night. Her eyes, which were the only thing visible in her face since she wore a ninja mask, were like precious jewels. It was hard to believe that such a beauty could be a sign of death.

Anko backed off as the said assassin jumped down from where she was, landing smoothly to the ground.

"Who are you?!" she exclaimed. The assassin just gave a little laugh as she slowly and gracefully approached her victim.

"Are you sure you don't know me?" she asked softly. Anko's eyes grew wide when the said assassin neared and stared at her for a long time, revealing her green orbs.

"S-sphinx?" she whispered in terror as she eyed the said girl with wide eyes.

As an impulse, she quickly turned the other way and ran, hoping that destiny be with her and save her. The sphinx just stared at the running figure in front of her for a moment and grinned. She then jumped to the nearest window and landed swiftly in front of Anko without any effort.

"You wanna play games? Fine," she said softly and before Anko could even run away, a dagger attached to some bandages came hurtling towards her. It was too late to avoid the attack as its tip gashed her shoulder.

Sakura pulled the other end of the bandage, turned it around and gave another deep cut in Anko's cheek. She pulled the bandage once more and winded it around Anko's neck. When the bandages were secure, she abruptly pulled them, dragging her victim towards her.

It was impossible for Anko to breathe properly, she tried to free herself from the bandages but the more she pulls them, the tighter it gets. Sakura took out another weapon, but this time, it was bigger, and sharper than the first ones. She pointed its shining edge on Anko's neck and gave a sinister smile, "Bye-Bye," she whispered then plunged it on Anko's stomach. Blood came spurting out from her mouth as her eyes were endlessly staring at her widely.

Sakura was about to stab her again when suddenly, she heard a sound of something spinning. Her eyes grew wide when she realized what it was and quickly turned around. A shuriken came hurtling towards her, she immediately jumped to evade the attack but unfortunately, it wounded her arm and cut through her suit. She fell on her sides as she tried hard to ignore the pain. Turning her head from left to right, she tried to find her supposed enemy.

A figure of a man suddenly came out of the dark corner of the said alley. He had long brown hair and white eyes, she couldn't be wrong, it was none other than Hyuuga Neji.

She looked at him with a confused expression. _'Neji, what the—this can't be happening,' _she thought as she abruptly stood up, still holding on to her wounded arm.

"…what do you want?" she asked weakly. The said man stopped from his tracks and stared at her with meticulous eyes.

"You must stop this," was his simple statement.

Sakura didn't know what to do. If she wouldn't fight, her identity might be at stake, but if she would attack him, no one didn't know if she could make it out alive. It was hard to admit, but this guy seemed to be more skilled than her.

"Stop meddling with these people, they only want to live normally," he said once again. This statement caught Sakura's attention.

Live normally? Do they even know what it's like to live out of the usual? To be always afraid and at the same time others are terrified of you? To be beaten around by your own parents and friends? To have no one by your side but hatred and pride? Surviving and living in replace of the death of other people? No they don't, they were just idiots, self-centered people, _'And all of them should die,' _she thought.

Grabbing the opportunity, she quickly threw the dagger towards Neji. The man seemed to have read her thoughts as he effortlessly avoided the attack. She twisted the bandages and tried to strike him but he was too fast.

Neji climbed through the walls quickly and threw three stars towards Sakura, then, he jumped to the other side and threw another set of stars and landed safely towards the ground. He then ran towards the other assassin from behind, his hand holding a samurai.

Sakura was surprised to see a number of shurikens hurtling towards her. Turning around, she saw Neji running towards her, she was trapped. For a moment, she stood motionless at her place when suddenly one of the stars had hit her on the stomach. Her eyes grew wide from the pain and looked down, just to see the star digging deeper into her skin. She immediately pulled it out, blood gushed from her smooth skin through her black suit. Another shuriken hit her at her back; the pain was beginning to weaken her.

Already running out of time, she took out her katana and had used it for the stars to be evaded. Immediately after avoiding the attacks, she had turned around to face Neji whose sword is just a few inches away from her face. Sakura quickly brought up her katana to evade the attack, now their weapons were in contact.

She was losing, all her strength had been drained out, and she felt she couldn't fight anymore. Neji was slowly pushing her down towards the ground. She was trying her best to hold on.

Suddenly, a bandage wrapped around Neji's neck and hands. He had immediately dropped his weapon as he tried to free himself from the tight bandages. Sakura turned to look at her savior and wasn't surprised to find out who it was. She smirked, "Gaara," Sakura whispered as she weakly fell down towards the ground.

The said newcomer tightened his grip on the bandages, and then brought out some small scrolls from his pocket. He lay it down on the ground and tied the bandages to one of the end of the scrolls. He smirked as he watched the sand came winding around the scroll then to the bandage. They were forming some kind of tendrils and were starting to wrap around Neji's body, suffocating him.

He tried to move, but the things that were holding him were too strong. The only escape he could think of was the kunai in his pocket. With all his remaining strength, Neji tried to grab the said weapon from his inside pocket. The tendrils were slowly wrapping around his face, blocking his sight.

But as if faith was with him, he suddenly felt the cold metal surface of the kunai. He immediately grabbed it and cut the bandages that were tied in his wrist. Slowly, the sand and the bandage loosened until he was freed. Not wasting any more time, he jumped towards the nearest window and left the place unnoticed.

Gaara allowed Neji to go on, he believed in second chances anyway. He stared at him as he jumped from window to window, escaping. When he was already out of sight, Gaara hurriedly went to Sakura who was lifelessly lying on the ground, drenched in her own blood. He checked her pulse, it was weak.

'_Good thing he didn't take off her mask,' _he thought then carried her away. Anko's body was left there, hopelessly waiting for its own savior.

XxxXxxX

"Gaara?"

The said boy glanced at Sakura, she was staring at him with curiosity. He saw several cuts on her face and hands and then suddenly, words just spilled out of his mouth unconsciously.

"You didn't have to join in the first place," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura was taken aback. She wasn't expecting that subject coming. She looked at him sternly and yet with a soft expression. Gaara was driving towards her house; she was too weak to go back after what happened. Sakura refused at first, saying that she can manage to go there by herself but still, Gaara gave her a lift.

"You know I need to," she said softly.

Gaara's expression didn't change. His eyes were fixed on the road. When he didn't answer back, Sakura tore her gaze away from him and sighed.

"Sakura, this isn't the only way. You could have done anything else but this," he said, still not looking at her.

Sakura looked at the window as raindrops started pouring. "It's my only way out, Gaara." Her companion turned to her, confused. She sighed as she slowly turned to him, "It's my only choice," and tears came rolling down her cheeks as the raindrops rolled down the glass window of the car.

Flashback

She hated them so much. They were everywhere, at school, at the playground, at their front yard. Sakura was always threatened, was always belittled. If only they knew what she was capable of.

"Get away!" she cried out as some girls from her school kept on teasing her, laughing at her. She thought that she couldn't fight them.

"Awww, poor Sakura. You want to go home to your mommy?" a purple haired girl uttered as she kicked some sand towards Sakura. She covered her eyes to avoid straining it, but it was useless.

She heard them laugh out loud at her weakness, her foolishness. She was losing. Sakura tried to get up but was pushed back by another girl, "Where do you think you're going, forehead girl?" the girl exclaimed as she snickered at the sight.

She was all covered in mud and her own blood. She has to fight back, it was her only escape. And as she thought of this, Sakura felt a sensation within her starting to rise, it wasn't the first time she felt it. She had always felt it whenever she wanted revenge, bloodshed; and she knew that she's going to have what she wants.

Her fist was clenched as the girls kept throwing things to her, "Give up, huh?" one of them exclaimed and before she could open up her mouth again, Sakura had already stood up, her head lowered; the girl looked at her, dumb stricken.

"I…said…leave…me…ALONE!" and as she said this, Sakura had already slashed the purple haired girl's throat with a sharp-edged piece of wood.

A loud shriek echoed in the lone playground, they all stood motionless for awhile, including Sakura. They were looking at their wounded companion, eyes wide as they gaped at her.

Sakura grinned as she looked at the piece of wood, blood dripping at its tip. It was the only sight that could satisfy her more than anything else.

"You're a monster!" one shouted out as she started running away. Sakura abruptly turned towards the said girl with a devious smile. She held the only weapon she was holding firmly and threw it at the girl who was a few feet away. The wood struck the girl at the back. Sakura snickered as she saw the wood coming out of the girl's chest. She had slowly fallen, head first, towards the ground, her blood turning the green grass into crimson. Her eyes were wide open, holding the look of terror and astonishment.

Sakura held a smile that no one else had ever seen. The remaining two girls hurriedly ran away from the place, already sobbing and afraid of the girl whom they thought was too fragile and scared.

She looked at the two with amusement, never feeling so much better. The rain started to pour, washing off the blood that stained her uniform. She took a final look at her victims, then smirked.

"Bitches," she uttered as she took a deep breath and grabbed her gray colored sling bag.

"You've done it again," a cold voice uttered out of nowhere. Sakura had stopped from her tracks. She knows that voice, it has been hunting her for days.

"Turn around," it uttered. Sakura didn't know if she should follow. Her hands were trembling as she gripped at the strap of the sling bag taking deep breathes.

'_Maybe I should end this,' _she said to herself as she slowly turned around, her head still lowered.

"What do you want?" she asked without looking at him. She heard him snicker as he was slowly approaching her, Sakura felt her surroundings becoming colder. She heard his footsteps as the wet grass and mud splattered a bit as he walked.

"I could help you," he simply uttered. Sakura raised her head slowly, meeting his bright yellow eyes, his lips forming a mischievous smile. She smiled the same way.

XxxXxxX

"She's new here, huh?"

"Yah, I think so."

"Why did Oro allowed her to join? She seems to be just a normal teenager to me."

Sakura thought that when she joined Orochimaru, she would never be belittled again. She was about to join a group having the same desire as she had. She wasn't different from them so she thought that she would be welcomed and accepted. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. Sakura sighed as she got up from her seat and exited the room, several pairs of eyes following her.

Nothing has changed. Sakura still hung her head low every time she walks, avoiding everyone's gaze. When she was already far from them, she stopped and sat at the floor. She could feel her tears slowly running down her pale skin. She hated her life, all she had wanted that time was to end it.

"You're new here?" someone said. Sakura refused at first, then nodded slowly in reply, not looking at who had spoken to her. She thought that the person would go away after seeing how boring and useless she was. To her surprise, the person sat down next to her and offered his hand.

"Gaara," he uttered. Sakura cautiously looked at him as she raised her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"S-Sakura," she said with a trembling voice. Since then, she had learned more on how to gain respect.

End of flashback

He stopped his car in front of the familiar building and turned to his friend.

"We're here," he said. Sakura slightly nodded as she opened the door.

She was about to go out but stopped and turned to Gaara, earning a questioning look from him.

"I…I just wanted to say…thank you…" she shyly uttered without looking at him. Gaara looked at her with a confused expression.

"What?" he uttered. He was about to go out and open her door when Sakura suddenly gave him a chaste and quick kiss on the cheek.

His eyes grew wide from her action as he sharply turned to her, feeling his cheeks turn hot.

"Thank you for….for everything," she said, her cheeks turning the same color as her hair. Gaara was still looking at her in shock, unable to hear what she had said properly.

"N-no problem," he uttered out of reverie as he blinked. Sakura smiled at him and then opened the door as she went straight to her office.

Gaara stared at her for a long time, even though Sakura was already out of his sight, he was still staring at the empty seat beside him. It took about five minutes before he was able to speak again and gained composure.

"Whoa…" he whispered softly to himself as he looked at the stirring wheel in front of him.

He grinned, what he felt now wasn't unusual anymore. He had wanted to say it a long time to her, but it seemed impossible since Sakura's lone concern was to satisfy her greed for blood.

"In your dreams," he uttered to himself as he drove safely back to his house.

XxxXxxX

Sasuke was clipping some of the negatives while his phone was between his shoulder and ear.

"Yah, it's pretty unusual to see it. Haven't you recognized what she looked like that night?" he asked the man from the other line, Kakashi.

"Hmm…it was pretty dark then, and she was such in a hurry that I didn't have a good look at her," he said as he flipped a page of his favorite book.

Sasuke rubbed his chin for awhile before answering. He didn't want to accuse Sakura, she was even too simple and serious to be the sphinx, but coincidences shouldn't be taken for granted. He had to do it.

"I really think you should see her. I'm not sure if she's the one, you'd understand what I mean when you see her face to face," he said.

"Oh, alright. Meet me at the club down street tomorrow night. We'll talk about it," Kakashi uttered hesitantly, he didn't want to be disturbed when he's _busy._

"Okay, I'll be there," Sasuke said and closed the flap of his phone.

He didn't like backstabbing, or sneaking behind other people's back. But he needed to do it, or else a great number of people will be affected. Sakura, she was such an interesting girl, and he wanted to know more about her, literally. She seemed to be sophisticated and strong-willed, _'Not my type,' _he thought but still, he felt such a strong attraction towards her. He smirked as he thought of this then took his coat from the back of a chair and went outside the cold night.

XxxXxxX

He saw Kakashi sitting at a dark corner of the said club. It took him about ten minutes to find him in the mob of people that were carelessly dancing, the neon lights that were blinding to the eyes, and the ear-splitting, loud music.

"What took you so long?" the silver-haired man said aloud so that he could hear him. The newcomer sat across his companion and leaned forward.

"Too many people, I didn't see you," he said in a loud voice. The said man just nodded in reply and looked around the club. Sasuke did the same thing. Though he can't really understand why Kakashi would choose a place so loud for them to talk about something too serious.

"They're on to us," Kakashi suddenly said as he kept looking around the place. Sasuke looked at him with furrowed brows, "WHAT?" he shouted since he didn't hear Kakashi's sentence.

The said man leaned forward to him and repeated his statement. Sasuke's eyes grew wide, "WHAT?" he said once more but this time, it had a tone of astonishment and panic. Kakashi moved away from the said boy before his eardrums could be dysfunctional.

"How?" Sasuke asked curiously. Kakashi didn't answer the question.

They were too fast. Maybe he had underestimated them at first. They have made sure that all of their moves were unsuspicious and were carefully planned and executed, and yet they have found out…too soon. Now, they have another problem needed to be worked on. Sasuke sighed in desperation.

"All I know is that you're in trouble. They've known who you are and your purpose. Better be cautious with your actions," Kakashi warned him, his eyes intently gazing at his former student.

Suddenly, everyone in the said place all roared and gathered at the center of the club. Someone seemed to have made a scene which caught the attention of everyone. Kakashi stood up and tried to have a peek. When he had finally seen it, he gaped, and his eyes were as big as saucers.

"…Sensei?" Sasuke uttered as he shook his shoulder gently. The said man didn't answer and just pointed at the direction where the commotion was. Sasuke quickly turned to the said place; he had the same expression as he saw the one who was in the middle of the cheering crowd.

A girl who was wearing a denim mini skirt and a purple top was dancing. But not just dancing, she was POLE dancing, and she seemed to be doing it perfectly. But it wasn't it that caught Sasuke's attention. What he thought was a very rare thing seemed to be untrue now.

'_This isn't another coincidence, oh please tell me it isn't,' _he said as he was constantly eyeing the said girl. She was swaying her hips slowly, her back facing her supposed audience as she held on to the metal pole in front of her. She then turned to face the crowd and suddenly saw Sasuke. She smiled at him sweetly as she continued to dance.

Sasuke slowly turned to Kakashi who was still eyeing the girl. He swallowed before he spoke, "Pink locks?" he asked in an unsure tone. The silver-haired man beside him didn't answered back but just nodded slowly instead.

"She's another possible target, I need to know her" Sasuke said, turning to the girl once more.

The pink-haired girl who was dancing was still eyeing Sasuke. She smirked as she saw how he gaped at her.

"Target spotted," she whispered in a communicator located at her top which was of the same color.

XxxXxxX

**Crystal chaser's note: **I'm not sure if this is a good chap. Anyways, just leave a review about what you thought about it. Your review really helps, you know. So don't go saying that they're of no use because you really don't know it you good-for-nothing, just kidding. Hehe. Also, I have to postpone Sasuke and Sakura meeting up so that other details can be added to fill the gaps. It would be harder for the story to be understood if I would disregard them. Thanks for reading! Oh, and sorry for the delay. I've been suddenly addicted to facebook! Haha! I just love the Internet!


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